What is Bridge Pose?
Yoga has many benefits in today’s age and day as it calms the body, mind, and soul. To learn more about the bridge pose, please note that it’s a beginner yoga asana accessible to most people. It has many benefits, especially for those sitting at their desks daily! It’s a great yoga pose for back pain!
This pose is versatile and can be used as a workout or to strengthen specific muscles. It is a beginner pose that can be easily modified for certain limitations or a more significant challenge.
Also called setu bandha sarvangasana, it is named after the bridge shape that the body makes in this backward arching pose.
How To Do Bridge Pose: Step-by-Step Guide
- Start by lying on your back, with your arms alongside your body and palms facing down.
- Bend your knees and heels close to your sitting bones
- Then press your feet and arms onto the floor, inhale, and lift your hips toward the ceiling
- After that, roll your shoulders under your body and interlace your fingers or keep your arms flat
- Lift your chest towards your chin
- Hold the pose, breathe deeply, and hold for 30 seconds to a minute
- Release, gently lower your hips back down to the mat.
How Long Should You Do the Bridge Pose?
Setu Bandhasana yoga pose is an inversion pose that has many benefits. But the main question remains: how long should you do the bridge pose?
- One can stay here for 10-15 breaths or even more to get the benefits of the posture.
- One of the other variations could be to do it by lifting the hips, bringing them down, and then doing it for a couple of rounds. This can be a great warm-up.
- If this very posture is part of Yin Yoga, then you can hold it for 2-3 minutes but with some support of a block under the lower back so that it becomes more relaxing.
- To improve this posture, lift one leg off the floor, pointing straight up, stay there for 10-15 counts, and repeat it from the other side.
Top 5 Benefits of Bridge Pose
1. Open and Stretch the Chest and Hips
With bridge pose, one gets a fantastic stretch across the front of the body. One will feel the stretch across the neck, chest, abdomen, hip flexors, and quads! Opening the chest will help you breathe and relieve pressure on organs, which will help with digestion.
2. Strengthen the Back and Glutes
Bridge pose also strengthens the back, hamstring, and glute muscles. By maintaining the lower back, one can relieve pain here. Your arms and shoulders also activate to hold you in this pose so that you can build strength in these areas, too!
3. Counteract the Effects of Sitting
If you sit most of the day, you will likely have tight hips and hunched shoulders, a posture that puts pressure on internal organs. Thus, with a bridge pose, it can open and stretch the chest, roll the spine, and lengthen the hip flexors.
4. Mental Health Benefits
Inversion poses, like a headstand, provide some significant mental health benefits. Bridge pose is a gentle and accessible type of inversion that will help you feel more relaxed and calm simultaneously.
5. Weight Management
This very inversion pose strengthens the abdominal muscles and hip flexors supporting the back. Strong core muscles improve posture and balance! It also helps to regulate the endocrine system. Thus, it helps maintain a healthy metabolism and control weight.
Tips for Practicing Bridge Pose
- Firstly, lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor, and hip-width apart. Inhale and prepare
- Then, exhale and press into your feet to lift your hips towards the ceiling. The weight should be evenly distributed between your shoulders, arms, and feet.
- Interlace your fingers under your back for support. Press the outer edges of your feet firmly into the floor.
- Then, draw your shoulders away from your ears and press your chest forward.
- After that, contract your gluteal muscles and squeeze your thighs inward.
- Hold the pose, breathing slowly and deeply.
- To release the pose, exhale and slowly lower your hips back down. At the end, rest in a child’s pose to relax your back!
Some Precautions to Take When Practicing Bridge Pose
- Warm-up: Before beginning with the bridge pose, warm up your body to prevent strain.
- Avoid if injured: If you have a neck, back, wrist, or shoulder injury, you should avoid a bridge pose or modify it with a qualified instructor.
- Avoid if pregnant: pregnant women should modify or ignore the pose.
- Avoid if you have high blood pressure: If you have high blood pressure, then you should avoid straining.
Advice for beginners: Perform the Bridge pose with Ease!
- Bridge poses can get complicated for beginners. Below are a couple of pieces of advice for them!
- Keep the feet hip-width apart and the ankles and knees in line. Don’t let the backdrop down or curve.
- The chin should touch the collarbone. Your gaze will then automatically be upwards
- Keep the thighs and glutes engaged throughout.
- One can also place a block between your thighs.
When should you perform Bridge pose?
- After an intense abs workout: As this asana gives a great stretch to the entire front part of the body from the hips to the neck, this pose is considered as a great counter pose for an intense abs workout.
- Backbending sequence: If the very theme of the Vinyasa sequence is backbending, then this is a great posture to add to the sequence, either dynamically or just as holds.
- Yin/Restorative Yoga: This pose can be a great addition to Yin Yoga by adding some props under the lower back, which will relax the hip flexor muscles and make them flexible!
Three Bridge Pose Variations and Modifications:
- Use a yoga block: Support your lower back with a yoga block placed under your hips during the pose.
- Keep your hands on the mat: Keep your palms down on the ground with your arms straight. This will provide better support and stability while lifting your hips high in the pose.
- Practice Eka Pada: Begin in bridge pose, then lift one leg off the ground while steadily maintaining your balance and breathing. Gradually, try lifting the other leg to achieve symmetry and strengthen your body’s stability.
Use of Yoga Accessories in Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
- Yoga Mat: Lying comfortably on the ground is essential. The yoga mat is like a cushion for the body. It provides comfort and grip.
- Yoga Blankets: The blankets can be folded and used to support the shoulders. If you are not flexible, place the folded blankets under your shoulders in the back.
- Yoga Pillows: Yoga pillows can provide proper alignment for your neck and act as additional support to avoid any strain from performing the yoga pose.
- Yoga Blocks: The blocks can be used for a variety of purposes. They can press your arms to the yoga block between the legs or under the hands.
- Yoga Strap: These can be used to align your arms and shoulders. They prevent your arms from going outward by wrapping them around the upper arms.
Practice Bridge Pose and Reap the Benefits
Bridge pose, or Setu Bandhasana, is an excellent backbend in yoga with numerous physical, mental, and emotional benefits. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced yogi, this pose helps to enhance flexibility, strength, and relaxation!
The pose has many benefits, and one can practice the pose to reap the many benefits. However, several precautions and tips should be followed if you’re a beginner.
By incorporating the Bridge Pose into its structured sequences, practitioners experience substantial benefits in overall wellness. To deepen your practice and master these transformative poses, consider joining our 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training in India, 300 hour Yoga Teacher Training in India, or 500 hour Yoga Teacher Training in India.
Some Frequently Asked Questions:
1. What is the purpose of bridge pose?
Bridge pose has many benefits. It strengthens the back, opens the chest, and improves spinal flexibility. It also promotes circulation for overall physical and mental well-being.
2. Who should not do the bridge pose?
Avoid bridge pose if you have neck, shoulder or back injuries and severe back pain.
3. Is bridge pose suitable for beginners?
Yes! It is a beginner-friendly pose, so proper alignment and gradual practice are necessary to avoid strain!
4. What are the common mistakes to avoid in Bridge Pose?
Some common mistakes are knees splaying outwards, over-arching the lower back, and not engaging the core or glutes.
